OptagAn EU funded project to

design build and validate a new airport tracking system

Stuart Robson Paul Brennansrobson@ge.ucl.ac.uk pbrennan@ee.ucl.ac.uk

Introduction• Optag is the short name for:

Improving airport Efficiency, Security and Passenger Flow by Enhanced Passenger Monitoring

• Funding: FP6 Aeronautics and Space• 3 year feasibility study and demonstration

– Combines high resolution panoramic cameras and radio frequency tagging to locate individuals within an airport

– Completed the information gathering/spec stage– Now in the design / build / test phase– Ends with a demonstration at an airport in Hungary

Airports….EfficiencyExisting aviation infrastructure saturated~10% of the total delays in European air transport are caused by passengers and their bags costing some €100M each yearSecurity“Direct and discreet communication systems link the passenger screening points and other access control points to an airport control centre capable of quickly responding in suspect, or actual, cases of unlawful interference.” (IATA)

SafetyDemand for safer and more secure aviationEvacuation / search and rescue procedures (poor visibility)Optag objectivesIncrease the safety and security of air travelMaximise the utilisation of existing facilities

The systemElements

Digital panoramic imaging systemFar Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagsA user interface and data storage (server) facility3D model of the airport environment – provides spatial “hook”

ImplementationAirport ‘users’ carry tagsRadio system tracks tagsPanoramic camera system overlays tag locations onto imagesNetwork connection combined with distributed processing – no synchronisation between

units requiredThe system will facilitate

Real-time location of individual passengers within the airportPotential for the analysis of both mass traffic & individual behaviourSemi-automatic control of vision systems to observe and record suspicious or unauthorised

activityMonitoring and targeting of individuals who may pose an economic or security risk to

effective airport operations

•Separate map, live video and video playback windows•Green - location updated within previous 30 s; Red - location not

updated within previous 30 s; Blue - tag location unchanged for more than 10 minutes.

•Options to track all tags and/or specific individuals (named triangles)

•Auto-tracking facility to keep a specified tag within view at all times

An example of what the user might see……

The Optag TAGA compact far-field RFID-tag transponder to be placed on a passenger or his baggage

- Compact- Cheap possibly

disposable - Given to all

passengers (e.g. boarding card)

Developed in the Department of Electrical Engineering at UCL

Some RFID design considerationsTags and reader system tested by

in a laboratory environment, to investigate

- Active (Battery powered)- Range 10-20 metres- Detector able to give bearing to

tag – overlaid on camera outputs and 3D airport model

- Specific R&D to mitigate multi-path- Reader unit can be separate from

camera cluster - Ability to search for tag within the

spaceDesign moving to beta prototype

- higher volumes of tags and several readers will be produced

The Optag CameraColour panoramic image delivery • 360° by 54° images supplied at 15 to 30 fps• 9,600 x 1,600 pixels giving 0.03° per pixel• geometrically calibrated for traceable image

quality and geometry• in camera processing – live panorama generation

and person tracking• rapid and accurate registration between multiple

views of the same person or objectMultiple live outputs• allow multiple users access to live views of

differing directions from a single camera• no need to mechanically pan and tilt the camera

(no moving parts or delays to view a chosen portion of the scene

In camera geometric correction and panoramic image stitching

Distorted camera image

Corrected camera image

The Optag Camera - Surveillance Expectations -

UK PSDB analogue security camera specifications and simulated images based on the Optag vertical pixel spacing of 23.7 pixels per degree

A single Optag camera will allow:–Monitoring at 50m–Detection at 30m–Recognition at 6m–Identification at 3 m

Simulated testsMatched to Optag camera

image qualitySubject at 3m- identification-

Note, Optag camera view will cover a greater vertical angle than this view

90 pixels

Simulated testsof Optag camera

image quality

Subject at 6m- recognition -

48 pixels

Simulated testsof Optag camera

image quality

Subject at 9m

- recognition ? -

33 pixels

Simulated testsof Optag camera image quality

Subject at 15 m

recognition ? /

detection20 pixels

11 pixels

Simulated tests of

Optag camera image quality

Subject at 30 m

Out of main lit area…

- detection -

Link the correct tag with the imaged person

Four tags identified within location volume pinpointed by camera

Key issue: direction finding ability of the tag system

Identify the same person in another Optag image

Feedback from tags gives possible choices

Possible InstallationsFixed

– Part coverage (key zones)– Full airport coverage– Door monitoring

Mobile Unit– Modular – key zones– High risk areas– One-off surveys

In combination with existing surveillance systems

Potential Benefits• Efficiency

– Passenger flows– Late passengers to gate– Staff Management

• Security– Passenger tracking– Unusual behaviour analysis– Secure/restricted area access (1 tag/1 person)– Special users

• Safety– Evacuation– Lost person

Consortium- Innovision- UCL (EE & GE)- Photonic- TSI- L&B- Slot- Debrecen Airport- Europus

http://www-research.ge.ucl.ac.uk/Optag